Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “beargrass” come from?

beargrass (English) comes from English bear, from Middle English bere, from Old English bere, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum, from Proto-Celtic dūnom — smoke; mist, haze.

beargrass (English): Xerophyllum tenax, a grasslike perennial closely...

Definitions

  1. Xerophyllum tenax, a grasslike perennial closely...

Ancestry of “beargrass”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbearA large omnivorous mammal, related to the dog and...
2Middle Englishberebear; To pierce
3Old Englishberebarley; first-person singular present indicative...
4Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
5Proto-West Germanictūnfence
6Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
7Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →